The invention relates to a beverage dispensing device, provided with a chamber having a bottom, a side wall and an aperture on a top side of the side wall for the accommodation of a beverage container, with a lid that is hingedly connected to the side wall and can be placed over the aperture, thereby sealing it, with a pressure device that is connected to a pressure line situated in the lid, and with a connecting element situated on the end of the pressure line, for the purpose of connection to a beverage container on closure of the lid.
Such a beverage dispensing device is known from PCT/NL99/00454. The known dispensing device comprises a cooling chamber, in which a pack with carbonated beverage, such as beer, can be placed. The pack with carbonated beverage comprises an outer container made of plastic and an inner, flexible bag containing carbonated beverage. The flexible bag is connected by way of a filling and dispensing head to the neck of the outer container. The dispensing head is provided with a first, relatively broad filling channel, to which a filling head of a filling line can be connected, for the purpose of filling the flexible bag. After the filling, and after detachment of the filling head from the filling line, the filling channel of the filling and dispensing head is closed by a spring-loaded valve. A second, relatively narrow dispensing channel of the filling and dispensing head is connected to a flexible hose, which extends at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the container. The dispensing channel is also closed by a spring-loaded valve prior to placing of the container in the cooling chamber of the beverage dispensing device. A square plastic outflow part is fixed on the end of the flexible hose, which outflow part is provided with a plate with a brand name on it, and which outflow part can be placed in an accommodation part of the dispensing head of the beverage dispensing device. The dispensing head comprises two hinged parts, which bound a feed-through channel for the flexible hose, and a shut-off valve connected to a tap handle. The shut-off valve comprises a spring-loaded clamping mechanism, which can close off and release the flexible hose in the feed-through channel by operation of the tap handle.
After the flexible hose has been placed in the feed-through channel, the dispensing head is closed, and the tap handle is placed in the closed position. A lid of the dispensing device can then be closed, and pressure means, such as a compressor, can be connected to the container, in order to supply a pressure medium to the area between the wall of the outer container and the flexible bag. On closure of the lid of the cooling chamber of the dispensing device, the dispensing channel of the filling and dispensing head is opened, so that the contents of the flexible bag are pushed into the flexible hose. By opening the tap handle, the flexible hose is released and assumes its free, undeformed cross section, and the carbonated beverage is dispensed under pressure from the dispensing head. The known dispensing device is also provided with a cooler, such as a Peltier element, for cooling the beverage.
In order to ensure good functioning of the dispensing device, it is extremely important for the pressure line and the lid to connect in an airtight manner to the air supply valve and to the side wall of the pack respectively. If the pressure line is not properly connected to the air supply valve, and if the pressure medium leaks along the circumferential wall of the lid, there may be an inadequate build-up of pressure in the container, so that the compressor of the beverage dispensing device will be activated and will go into operation at undesired times. It is also important for a user to be able to open a spring-loaded beer valve of the beverage container with little physical effort on closure of the lid.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a beverage dispensing device in the case of which, with the exertion of a relatively slight closing force by the user, the connecting element of the pressure line can be placed in an airtight manner against a container placed in the device.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a beverage dispensing device in the case of which on closure of the lid the spring-loaded beer valve of the beverage container can be opened by the user with little physical effort.
It is likewise an object of the invention to provide a beverage dispensing device with a lid that can be opened and closed in a simple manner, while the pressure line is connected in a reliable way to the container in the device. To this end, the beverage dispensing device according to the invention is characterized in that the lid comprises a spring closing element which, when the lid swings shut, falls behind a fixing part formed on the wall, and also comprises a handle that can swing between a releasing and a closing position, in the case of which, by placing the handle in the closing position with the lid closed, the connecting element is moved by the handle in the direction of the bottom of the chamber and is taken into engagement in a tight grip with an air inlet of the beverage container, and the spring closing element is locked, and by moving the handle to the releasing position with the lid closed, the connecting element is raised from the air inlet, and the spring closing element is moved to a releasing position, in which it comes away from the fixing part.
After a container has been placed in the cooling chamber, the user can close the lid, with the handle now in the releasing position. As the lid swings downwards to close, the spring closing element will first make connection with the fixing part on the wall, so that a first rough closure is obtained. The spring closing element is locked by moving the handle to the closing position while the lid is swinging to the closed position, so that opening of the lid is no longer possible, while the connecting element is pressed against the air connection of the beverage container, so that the lid is placed in a play-free and close-fitting manner against the container and against the wall. Owing to the lever action of the handle, a great downward pressure of the connecting element against the air inlet of the container can be generated with relatively little effort, so that an airtight seal is ensured. When the closed lid is to be opened, the handle is first of all placed in the releasing position, in which said handle engages upon the spring closing element in such a way that the latter comes away from the fixing part. The closing element is also lifted clear of the container by moving the handle, so that the lid can be opened and the container can be removed from the cooling chamber.
In one embodiment, the lid also comprises on the inside an operating lug, which is movable together with the connecting element by the handle, for the purpose of acting upon a spring-loaded shut-off valve of the beverage container. The container, which is composed of, for example, a plastic outer wall containing a flexible bag of the type described in PCT/NL99/00454, comprises a spring shut-off valve that is connected by way of an elbow piece to a flexible hose with a bottle valve on the end. The spring valve is opened by depressing the elbow piece, so that the contents of the container are brought into communication with the dispensing line. During the first closing phase the connecting element of the pressure line is positioned in the correct way, and a stop in the lid is placed on the elbow piece, without the user having to make any physical effort to do this. By operation of the handle during the second closing phase, the lid is pressed downwards against the spring pressure of the container placed in it, in such a way that the spring shut-off valve of the container is opened and the contents of the container can pass into the dispensing line.
In one embodiment, the handle comprises a curved arm with a handle part that can be placed substantially parallel to the lid surface, the lid comprising a recess at the position of the handle part, for the accommodation of the user""s fingers. In this way a handle that can be depressed easily by the user is formed, the curved arm sliding along a locking pawl on the wall of the container, and in this way pushing the lid into a connection in a tight grip with a container placed in the dispensing device, and with the wall, so that no air can leak out of the pressure line, and so that the dispensing valve is fully opened. The lid can preferably be opened independently of a shut-off valve that is fixed on the wall of the container, the shut-off valve being provided with a tap handle and an operating mechanism for opening and closing the shut-off valve placed at the end of the flexible dispensing line of the container.